DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — The newest member of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) Bomb Squad looks like it came from the future, but its name is a nod to the past.
The department recently acquired a new bomb robot. Following a community vote, it was named Johnny 5-0, a nod to the 1980s film "Short Circuit."
The new technology has already been put to the test. The Bomb Squad was called out to Sedalia on June 24 after old dynamite was found inside a metal container in a residential shed. According to the sheriff's office, the container is typically used on construction sites and belonged to the former resident, who owned a construction company.
DCSO said it deployed Johnny 5-0 to the scene because dynamite can "become extremely unstable with age." The bomb robot safely removed the dynamite and transported it to a secure location, where it was placed in a blast pit and "counter-charged with an explosive."
🚨 Wait for it… Wait for it… Johnny 5-0 in action! 🚨
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) July 7, 2025
Douglas County Bomb Squad was called out after old dynamite was found inside a metal container in a residential shed. The container, typically used on construction sites, belonged to a former resident who owned a… pic.twitter.com/acx7zezMki
Lenny Demchak saw the whole thing from his neighboring Sedalia home.
"I knew bomb squads use robots, but I hadn't seen that before," Demchak told Denver7 on Tuesday. "It was about a two-and-a-half-hour experience."
Denver7 visited the sheriff's office on Tuesday to learn more about how Johnny 5-0 can assist deputies and keep the community safe.
“It’s one of those things where our mind is the limit," said DCSO Bomb Squad Deputy Daniel Carlin. "If we can think it, the company can probably make it for us, and we can attach it to the robot."
Deputies control the robot's every move using an Xbox video game controller.
Charlin said Johnny 5-0 is useful for everything from suspicious packages to SWAT situations, and its strength is impressive.
"The arm can lift up to 80 pounds when it's fully stretched out. When it's close to it, it can lift up to 275 pounds," Carlin explained. "Hopefully it doesn't happen, but if an officer's shot... we can grab an officer and drag him out with it."
- Watch Johnny 5-0 in action below:
Carlin called the robot a major upgrade from what DCSO used to have. Most notably, Johnny 5-0 is able to turn corners and move its arms more swiftly.
"Oh, it's an amazing solution," said Carlin. "If it blows up, it's a piece of equipment. It's an expensive piece of equipment, but it's a piece of equipment instead of our life."
DCSO purchased the robot after receiving a $359,000 federal grant.
